Centrifugal clutch.



S. DEUTSCH. OENTRIFUGAL CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1913.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

WITNESSES;

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHbTo-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. C.

snvron n neteen, or person, MICHIGAN.

cnnrnrnnean CLUTCH.

mosses.

Specification of ILetters Patent.

Patented An". 25,1914,

Application tau-m is. 519 13. Serial no. 773,922.

To aZZ whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, Simon Dnirrson, a citizen. of the United tltates, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of "Wayne and State of lvlichigan, have invented new and Improved Centriifiuggal Clutch, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention relates'to ineanswadapted to connect the startingudeviees of internal combustion engines for automobiles and launches to the cranlshait'ts, and itsuobject a revoluble ring radapted to receive power isto providea clutch whichwill disconnect the starting device from the crank shai't when the engine has attained a predetermined speed under its own powerand re main disconnected should the CIallli-Ellftifill suddenly reverse through back-lire or rocking under compression. is

"This invention consists in combination with an exterior driving"membercomprising from the starting device and havinginternal teeth, an interior drivenmember in the form of a spidersecured to the crank-shaft of the engine, and comprising a series of arms on which-are mounted a plurality of counter-weighted pawls adapted tos wing:

into engagenient with the internal. teeth of the exterior driving; member :when the same! is revolving and thereby revolve the interior driven member andxthe shaft upon which the driven member is mounted, and a series of pivotally mounted dogs adapted to engage the pawls in order to hold them out of engagement with itheiexteriorid lflg' inc1nher during the interval in which the engine reverses by reason of backfire 0r rocking under compression. 1

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of this clutch with one of the cover plates removed to show the interior. Fig, 2 is a section. onthe line 2 9 ol ll ig. 1. Figs 3 and 1 are elevation and bottom views respectively of oneof the'pawls.

Similar referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The drivingnmeinber ofthis clutch consists of aring 1 having a series of teeth 2 of any desired form, to which a motor or belt may connect, the teeth shown being adapted to receive a noiseless link belt of well known construction. The sides ofthis ring are recessed to receive the outer edges of the disks B and 4L- ,l1QlClQl11 position by screwsfi. These CllSkSrZtlB bored to receive the shaft 6 and have packing ringsj l' iheld in position by the glands 8. By theseineans the or], within the clutch is prevented from escaping along the shaft. The interior driven member consists of a spider 9 ham ing arms 10 which carry theupins ll,and arms 12 which have seats 13.1 Pawls Id 144, 14: and 141-4, having oountezwveighted ends 15 and engaging members 16, are mounted onthese pins 11 and are adapted to engage the inteeior teeth 17 of the ring 1.. The portions 15 of these pawls are of such weight that when the inner member or spider 9 revolve at moderate :spced, these parts 15 wilzli fly out and swing back the pants 16 into the recesses 13, which .is the 13055113011011: the l pawils 1. 1 and 14.

Pins 18 on the swing-e0 the positions of pawls 14 andll i the dogsylQ move to the positions ofuthe members 19 and 19,Hengag1ng with the weightsportions 1.5 of the pawls.

tionsiso long as the shaftfi revolves at more than predetermined moderate speed, and

ii there wvere ino sudden reversal of the moven'ien Cot the shatt, the members 119 wouldybennnecessary. But when internal These members 14land 19 will remain in these posr spider=9 carlryithe dogs 19, 19 1:9 and 19 which swing out Iihy can;

combustion enginesnre running at moderate f speeds, baelelirinfg sometimes occurs, Are 51 lilting :in the instant reversal of the engine, and when engines are shut down, theyoften oscillate back and for-thundercompression before co njin to a rest. This means that i the engine comes to astop andthen begins to rotate in the; opposite direction. dogs 19 were omitted, one or more of the pawls 1 11 might assunie the position of the n the pawl 14:", and the driving member 1 would be turned in the LlllQCtlOl] 0ppos1tc to the arrow 20, which i might result in great damage. ,lfiut at the instant of stoppage, the dogs 19 will still have their outerzcnds incontact with the parts 115 of the pawls 14:, v

and, because of friction and of the oil. sur rounding the parts preventing sudden move,- ment, these dogs-will etain the positions 19 and 19 for-severalseconds, or untilythe shaft has tilltz'lil'lld sul'lieient speed to cause i the dogsfl) to keep or resume theposition 19. 1 Vhenthe shjatt 6 is stationary, the piiwls 14: will assume the positions shown n F g.

1, thatds, the pawls, l4 and 11 1* will be held by ,graydty in the-positions there shown with the engaging members 16 meshing with the teeth 17, while the pawls 14 and 1% will be in such position that their portions 16 will be out of engagement with these teeth 17 When the starting device is now set in motion to turn the ring 1 in the direction of the arrow 20, in Fig. 1, the pawls 1 1 and 14 will be carried with this ring and thereby rotate the driven member 9 and the shaft 6.

hen the engine has been started, its speed will soon be greater than that of the ring 1, the pawls 16 will move faster than the ring 1, and centrifugal force will swing out the dogs 19 to the position shown at 19 and 19 when they will serve as safety devices as above described. When the shaft 6 'stops'turning, these members 19 may slowly turn on their pivots to the positions shown in Fig. 1.

I claim.

1. In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of a shaft, a driving member revolubly pawls mounted thereon and having internal teeth, a driven member secured to said shaft, main pawls mounted on the driven member and adapted to engage said internal teeth, said having counter-weighted portions adapted toswing the pawls out of engagement with said teeth when the shaft attains a predetermined speed, and auxiliary members pivoted on the driven member and adapted to hold the main pawls out of engagement with said teeth.

, 2. In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of a shaft, a pair of disks revolubly mounted on the shaft, an internally toothed ring mounted between said disks, a spider secured to the shaft between the disks, pawls pivoted to said spider and adapted to engage the internal teeth of the ring and having counterweights adapted to swing out by centrifugal force and carry the pawls out of engagement with said internal teeth when said shaft attains a predetermined speed, and auxiliary members pivoted to said spider and adapted to swing out by centrifugal force and engage the pawls to hold them out of engagement with said internal teeth of said ring. 7

3. In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of concentrically mounted driving and driven members, a plurality of counterweighted members pivoted on the driven member and adapted to operatively engage the driving member until the driven member has attained a predetermined speed, and

a plurality of auxiliary members pivoted on the driven member and adapted to swing out into engagement with the counterweighted members and temporarily hold them out of engagement with the driving member.

4. In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of a spider and an internally toothed ring concentrically mounted, a plurality of pawls pivoted on the spider and adapted to engage the teeth of the ring until the spider has attained a predetermined speed, and a plurality of dogs pivoted on the spider and adapted to swing out into engagement with the pawls and to hold them out of engagement with said teeth at sudden reversals of the driven member.

In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of a shaft, a driving member revolubly mounted thereon and having an internal engaging surface, a driven member secured to said shaft, a pivot on the driven member, a

pawl mounted to swing on'the pivot, one end of the pawl being provided with an engaging surface adapted to contact with the internal engagingsurface, and the other end of the pawl being of greater weight than the engaging end whereby the latter may be withdrawn from engagement with the internal engaging surface by the action of centrifugal force when the shaft attains a certain speed, a second pivot on the driven member, a third member mounted to swing upon the second pivot, and having an end adapted to swing into contact with the pawl to withhold the same from contact with the internal engaging surface.

6.'In a centrifugal clutch, the combina: tion of a shaft, a driving member revolubly mounted thereon and having an internal engaging surface, a driven member secured to said shaft, a pivot on the member, a pawl mounted to swing on the pivot, one end of the pawl being provided with an engaging surface adapted to contact with the internal engaging surface, and the other end of the pawl being of greater weight than the en- 7 gaging end whereby the latter maybe with? drawn from engagement with the internal engaging surface by the action of centrifugal force when the shaft attains a certain speed, a second pivot a third member mounted to swing freely upon the second pivot by the action of centrifugal force upon its own mass, and having an end adapted to swing into contact on the driven member,

with the pawl to withhold the same from engagement with the internal engaging surface upon sudden reversals of the driven member.

7. In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of a shaft, a driving member revolubly mounted thereon and provided with an engaging surface, a driven member secured to said shaft, a pivot on the member, the axis of the pivot being parallel to the axis of the shaft, a second member mounted to swing on the pivot, one end of the second member being provided with an engaging surface that is adapted to contact with the engaging surface on the driving member, and the engaging end whereby the latter may be withdrawn from engagement with the engaging surface on the driven member through i the action of centrifugal force when the shaft attains a certain speed, a second pivot on the driven member, the axis of the second pivot being parallel to the axis of the shaft, a third member mounted to swing upon the second pivot by the action of the centrifugal force of its own mass, and having an end adapted to contact withthe second member to withhold the same from engagement with the engaging surface of the driving member upon sudden reversals of the driven member.

8. In a centrifugal clutch, the combination of a shaft, a pair of disks revolubly mounted on the shaft, a ring mounted between the disks, a member secured to the shaft between the disks, a pair of pivots carried by the member, the axis of each of the pivots being parallel to the axis of the shaft, a second member mounted to swing upon one of the pivots, said second member having at one end a surface that is adapted to engage with the internal surface of the A rlng, its opposite end being counterweighted whereby the member may be withdrawn from engagement with the ring when the shaft attains a certain speed, a third member mounted to swing upon the other pivot, said third member being provided with a portion that is adapted to engage with the second member and withhold the same from engagement with the internal surface of the ring upon sudden reversals of the driven member, and a liquid filling the interstices between the disks, ring and shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIMON DEUTSGH.

Witnesses:

EDWARD N. PAGELSEN, Hoeo W. KREINBRING.

Copies. of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Pat-en, Washington, D. G. 

